Mel Jay Speech Pathology

03/02/2026

As parents, we start our parenting journey expecting our child will 'talk' to communicate. That we will hear them say words with their mouths, like 'Mum' and 'I love you', or to request their favourite show or toy. But not all children will develop the ability to 'talk' at the expected age, or at all. Finding the way that works for your child is life-changing! For them, and for you. So many people think that AAC is taking a step backwards. But the evidence tells us otherwise. For those children who just need a little more time and support to learn to 'talk', it reduces their frustration while they do so, and can even facilitate their learning. And for those children who will never communicate in the typical way, it gives them a voice. How amazing is it to see this? To see this girl communicate what she wants, to connect with her mum? And this is only the beginning.... https://www.instagram.com/reel/DS-MiwXEXo7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

15/06/2025

Chelsea and Mel have returned from the annual national Speech Pathology Australia conference full of new knowledge and ideas and the evidence to back them: connecting with our peers has been energising; and we have also felt validated that much of what we have been doing already is evidence-based best practice. We are excited to apply this new knowledge and our renewed enthusiasm and commitment to providing the best service we can!

21/01/2025

Congratulations to Rebecca Keeley and the team at on their app going live today, after lengthy development and testing.

It’s so exciting to see an innovative and evidence based digital health solution, made by speech pathologists for Australian children, to address the issue of wait lists. This empowers parents to support their child’s communication development while they are waiting for intervention.

21/12/2024

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from MelJay Speech Pathology. We hope you and your family have a safe, restful and joyful time over the holidays and we look forward to seeing you and your child, to work together towards your child’s communication goals in 2025.

26/11/2024

Gift bags ready for the end of year party at the school tomorrow!

17/11/2024

It looks like Santa has made an early visit to MelJay Speech Pathology this year!

He must have known that Mel was finishing early this year for surgery and decided the kids need a Christmas treat for their last sessions over the next fortnight 😜

But don’t worry, sessions with Chelsea will continue as usual until the 20th December🎅🏻🎄

12/11/2024

As 2024 is coming to an end, we are busily working with some of our families on discharge plans.... that means that in 2025 we will have availability for new clients!

As a family-centred practice, we will do our utmost to accommodate your preferences. However, available days/times will be limited so we will not have much flexibility around what we can offer. Most availability will be during school times - we can do kindergarten/school visits providing your child's place of education allows this.

So if you have restrictions on your availability, let us know as soon as possible....Unfortunately, we will never be able to make everyone 100% happy, but we will do our best!

Ideally, please provide a minimum of 2-3 preferred days and times, or preferably, advise us of the times that you cannot do.

Send a message to learn more

26/08/2024

This Speech Pathology Week we would like to celebrate the wonderful work that our profession does, to support communication and swallowing needs, from birth and throughout the lifespan.

We would also like to celebrate the individuals and families who we are privileged to share their journeys with.

28/07/2024

SCHOOL CAN'T, NOT SCHOOL WON'T.
Parents, educators, ESOs/LSOs (classroom aides) and anyone else working with students who are reluctant to go to school - this podcast and/or the course would be very helpful!
https://suelarkey.com.au/learning-about-pda/

https://elearning.suelarkey.com.au/product/supporting-students-with-pda/

There is also a lot of other helpful information and resources, that are free to access.

Discover insights on PDA from Eliza Fricker's 'Can't Not Won't', explore parenting and teaching strategies for children with Pathological Demand Avoidance.

01/04/2024

MelJay Speech Pathology is excited to announce that from Term 2, 2024, the wonderful speechie, Chelsea Bell, will be joining our practice!

Chelsea will be covering Mel's caseload while Mel recovers from surgery, and then taking on new clients! If you are seeking speech therapy in the Melton/Bacchus Marsh area (and are not already on MelJay's wait list), contact MelJay Speech Pathology and be ready to start mid-late Term 2 with Chelsea! 😃

08/03/2024

I am beyond excited to share this news: my little private practice, MelJay Speech Pathology, is about to be enriched and strengthened by the amazing speechie, Chelsea Bell.

Chelsea will be joining me in MelJay from Monday 15th April/Term 2, and initially supporting our clients while I recover from my first knee replacement, and then taking on a caseload of her own.
Chelsea is a passionate, skilled, and knowledgeable speech pathologist and will bring exciting new ideas and approaches to MelJay, as well as a wealth of experience and learning in areas including neurodiversity, Hanen, Gestalt Language Processing and AAC.

For many, many years I have resisted taking on another Speech Language Pathologist for many reasons, however it was because of Chelsea that I decided it was time, and thankfully she has decided that this is a change she would also like to embrace.
This year is promising to be incredible, for myself and MelJay, with the addition of Chelsea Bell, and for our clients.

And of course, this means that once I've recovered from surgery and am up to a full caseload again, that we will have capacity to take on clients from our wait-list, and potentially new clients as well!

16/10/2021

It's hard to find good images for slides/powerpoint presentations - lol, this fits what I wanted perfectly!

Download this photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash